


Awake

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Cometverse [24]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Forgiveness, Multi, Pining, Reunions, Temporary Homelessness, Touch Aversion, Working through feelings, isa is pining for lea hardcore, lea is an idiot and hasn't caught on yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-11 00:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18671368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: Isa wakes up after the battle of light and dark, and goes looking for Lea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK  
> IT'S YA BOY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also we're stepping up putting chapters out for a bit bc we realized we're writing them faster than we're posting them. we've got like 100+ fics to get through. that _does_ mean there will be some holes that we'll have to come back and fill later, but you guys dont mind right?

Isa wakes up in Radiant Garden.

He knew there was a chance that could happen, when he’d faded away once more in the Keyblade Graveyard, a slim chance that in dying he would become whole again. A chance is not a guarantee however and he’d been fully aware of that. He had been prepared for that to have been the end, looking up into Lea’s face, Lea’s forgiveness, as the world had faded around them.

It wouldn’t have been a bad end, all things considered.

No, he hadn’t particularly _wanted_ to die, but if that had been the end, there with Lea? There are worse ways to go, he thinks.

So when he wakes up, he finds himself a little surprised, but grateful. He has a second chance. Or third chance. He’s not sure what chance he’s on, if he’s being honest, but this time..

This time he won’t waste it.

He gets up, and goes to find Lea.

Lea. _Lea._

It takes him a couple tries and a few days, he can only assume that there are loose ends to be tied after defeating Xehanort (and he _has_ to assume they defeated him. He refuses to entertain the thought that he might have been given another chance only for Lea to have fallen at the hands of that irritable old man).

He checks all the places he thinks Lea would be, and then he keeps checking them until eventually he hits paydirt.

It’s on the clocktower, because of course it is. Lea is standing staring out at the sunset. Thankfully he’s alone, and Isa approaches with something raw and hopeful clawing at the edges of his only recently renewed heart. Lea doesn’t turn to face him, not hearing his approach until Isa works up the courage to speak.

“Lea.” He doesn’t know what else to say. Lea jerks, head spinning to face him with shock in his eyes. He rushes forward, suddenly in his space, hands reaching up to touch his face. He allows it only because it’s Lea.

“Sai-” He pauses, pulling his face down and Isa flushes just slightly at the close inspection.

“Your eyes..” Lea whispers, and then smiles. It’s the most honest and open smile he’s seen from Lea in _so_ long. His heart ( _his heart!_ ) clenches at the sight. “ _Isa_. You’re back. You’re really back!”

He thinks he sees tears in Lea’s eyes. He pretends his own aren’t a little wet. Lea looks like he wants to hug him, and Isa relents, raising an arm in invitation. Lea leans into the one armed hug enthusiastically, burying his face into the crook of Isa’s neck with something that sounds suspiciously like a sob.

“I’m glad you’re all right.” Isa says quietly. Lea huffs a laugh into his shoulder.

“Same to you, you ass. I can’t believe you. I hope today is good because _I am not letting go._ ” Lea’s grip is tight, and slightly desperate. Isa wonders what he did to earn how worried Lea has obviously been for him.

“What happened, after I...?” It’s an awkward question to ask, but he has to know.

“We won.” Lea replies. “Come on, there’s some people I want you to meet properly, I’ll give you the full rundown on the way.” He pulls Isa away from the clocktower ledge and towards the stairs down, refusing to let go of Isa or even really let him out of his sight. He gets an overview of the whole sordid tale, and a brief update on what each of the guardians have been doing in the short time since they’d won.

Resting and recovering mostly, by the sounds of it. Deservedly so.

Lea leads him to the front of a bar, and for a moment he’s somewhat confused as neither of them had ever been big drinkers, until he sees Lea open the locked door with a key, the regular kind, and calls out.

“Comet! Roxas! Xion! Get down here!” He recognizes two of those names, and he is trepidatious at seeing them again, with all their history. He’s done all he can to make reparations to them, but he does not know if he will ever truly deserve their forgiveness, should they deign to give it to him. Lea lets go of his hand and walks over to a stairwell, leaning into it slightly as he calls out again. He hears the thump of footsteps, and then someone on the stairwell is kissing Lea in greeting.

Isa feels the bottom of his stomach drop out at the sight.

“Comet, remember what I told you about Isa?” There’s such fondness in his eyes and voice as he looks down at this strange person. Isa’s nails dig into the wooden countertop next to him.

“Well,” Lea is gesturing back at him, wide smile on his face. The stranger is smiling at him too. He feels the old and familiar stirrings of jealousy, and can’t quite stamp them out, pushed off-kilter as he is. Shame follows them.

“That’s _great_ news, Lea! It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Isa. I’m Comet, they/them.” They’ve extended a hand out in greeting to him. Isa wonders if his new heart and body are functioning properly. Everything’s gone sort of fuzzy on him.

‘Finally’? He wonders how long Lea’s known them. How long he’s been talking to them about him. Behind his back

He doesn’t take the hand, and thankfully Lea intervenes on his behalf, pushing the hand down.

“He’s got touch issues sometimes, especially with new people, don’t mind him.”

“Oh, sorry, my bad.” They say, perfectly accepting of the excuse. Isa wants to hate them.

“Have you had anything to eat? I was just about to start dinner, me and Lea can throw something together if you’d like to stay for a while.” They say. He forces the jealousy down. He’s learned. He’s _learned_. He can’t let it rule his life any more.

“That would be.. Lovely.” He says quietly. He looks at Lea, who looks ecstatic at the exchange. Lea glances at Comet.

“Where’s Roxas and Xion?” He asks.

“They went out about an hour ago. I think just to stretch their legs, but I’d bet munny they’re both ruining their appetites with ice cream.”

Lea chuckles.

“Probably. C’mon, they defeated the big bad! They deserve a treat.”

Comet slaps him lightly on the arm. “That excuse is only going to go so far buddy, they have to eat real food eventually.”

“Ah they’ll be fine.”

“They are growing kids that need to eat! So do you for that matter, mister skin and bones. Stop spoiling them.”

Isa watches them trade comments, bantering back and forth.

He wants to hate them.

He looks at Lea’s soft smile. Remembers how he got here, the pain and betrayal and plots all born of his own torn heart.

He asks instead,

“Could I assist with preparing dinner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isa wants to hate Comet so bad guys. SO bad.
> 
> Oh Isa, you jealous bitch, i love you.


	2. Forgivness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He asks their forgiveness, knowing he doesn't deserve it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey isa you're awake after an actual-death experience? time to go beg forgiveness from the kids you basically tortured for a year.

Lea calls Roxas and Xion to come home. He says there’s someone who’s finally come home to meet them. 

Somehow neither of them consider it might be Isa. 

They both freeze in the stairwell to the second level, and Isa has stood from where he had been sitting at the kitchen table. The room is filled with tension, and Isa takes a single step forward before surprising everyone by kneeling on the floor several feet away from them. 

There’s a tense quiet blanketing the room before Isa speaks.

“You don’t have to forgive me.” He starts, even as he feels his throat try to close around the words. “What I did to you, to both of you, was inexcusable. Especially Xion. But I am truly, absolutely regretful. I’m sorry. If you wish never to see me again, I will respect that.”

He presses his forehead to the wood of the floor and waits for their answer. 

It would break his heart, to never see Lea again, but after what he had done? What could he do but accept it. He deserves nothing less. 

The tension is so thick a person could cut it with a knife. 

Xion steps forward. 

“I forgive you.” The statement is so simple, but Isa finds himself looking up in surprise. Xion stands in front of him, looking a little nervous, but determined. 

He thinks, for a moment, it’s a very Sora look... before crushing the thought with shame. Xion was not Sora, despite all their connections.

“Yes, what you did… hurt us. A lot. But you also helped bring us back, left yourself in a place where you knew you were going to die so we could live. You protected me in the true organization, risked everything to make sure Roxas had a body ready for him, and…”

Xion trails off, as if suddenly realizing there’s an audience, but plucks up enough courage to continue when Roxas steps a little closer himself. 

“Well.. I was there with you, in the organization. The true one.” Isa hadn’t been sure that time would be remembered, considering the replica’s half complete nature at the time. “I  _ saw _ your regret, even as you tried to hide it from everyone else. I know how real it is. And I know you would never do it again.”

The words are both a declaration and a warning. Isa casts his eyes down. 

“No. No matter the cost, I have done too much to you already.”

Xion looks to Roxas then, who is chewing on his lip, looking for what to say. 

“I don’t…” he starts, and then stops. Sighing in frustration. Isa wonders if he’s not the only one who struggles with words sometimes. 

“You’re.. the reason we were able to come back. The reason we won even. That matters.”

Isa glances up, meets Roxas’ glare, and casts his gaze down again. Roxas crouches, right in front of Isa so he has no choice but to look him in the face. 

“But what you did before? To Xion? To me? That matters too. I  _ will _ forgive you, but I’m going to need more time.”

“Thank you for your honesty.” Isa says, struggling to meet Roxas gaze but forcing himself to. “I will do everything in my power to be worthy of it.”

“Okay.” Roxas says sand then stands, giving a deliberately leisurely stretch. “So, what's for dinner?”

Lea huffs a disbelieving laugh. 

“One track mind there, Roxas?”

“Teenager? I’d be more surprised if he didn’t. Dinner’s chicken and dumplings, it should be ready soon even, if you two want to grab plates and stuff.” Comet says, and just like that the tension is gone. Roxas walks by Isa without a second glance, and Xion offers him a hand up off the floor, which he takes gratefully. 

He smiles, and he thinks it might be the first time he’s done it for Xion, judging by the surprised expression he gets in return. 

Dinner is somewhat quiet, despite the best attempts of almost everyone to keep conversation flowing, but the tension doesn’t strangle them. It’s just.. quiet. The food is warm and familiar, almost certainly a recipe from Lea’s family he thinks as nostalgia rises in him. Lea and Comet get up to do dishes, and he nearly offers to help until he sees them talking quietly, Lea shaking his head like he doesn’t want to answer something they’ve asked, and leaves them to it. 

Comet, he supposes, doesn’t know exactly what happened between him and the kids…. which means they likely don’t know a lot of the more disturbing parts of his and Lea’s history. The darker parts of himself, still lingering like a bad rash, file that knowledge away to be used later. The rest of him, horrified by the automatic reaction, vows never to use it. 

He refuses to go down that path again. He doesn’t deserve their forgiveness, but he will spend the rest of his life making reparations to the people he has wronged and still never feel worthy of it anyway. 

He has to try. 

He thanks them for the meal and moves to leave, stopped when Lea catches his arm. 

“You’re going already? Isa I just got you back, stay the night at least?”

He almost says yes, the thought of staying near him intoxicating.. And even a couch sounds so much better than the benches he’s been catching short naps on while he was searching for Lea. But though he says nothing he sees Roxas shift uncomfortably, and his decision is made. 

“No, thank you. But I will be back later, if you like.”

Lea’s grip on his arm tightens briefly before letting go. 

“Okay.” He says, with great reluctance. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.” Isa nods, and then walks out. 

It’s late in the evening, so there isn’t really anywhere to go, but it’s a nice enough night, with just enough cloud cover to keep it from being too cool. He wanders from place to place, stopping for a short nap in a nearby park, until morning. 

He finds the temporary housing area, places reserved specifically for people with nothing and nowhere to go.. people like him now, he supposes. 

He wonders if he’s being presumptuous, staying in the same town like this, but even he knows his power over the corridors of darkness are fading (not that he should be using them now that he has a heart anyway), and he has no gummi ship to cross between worlds.

If he is overstepping, then he will simply have to re-evaluate later. For now… for now he needs a place to stay. 

He fills out the required paperwork and steps into the small, barren flat. It very nearly reminds him of the Castle, lifeless and monotone, though in beige instead of white, but he shakes the thought away. It has a roof, and a bed, and for now that will do. 

Everything else will have to come later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in a future fic we haven't written yet we imagine comet and lea find out isa was basically homeless when he left that night and both of them are _extremely_ upset by that


End file.
